


Dirty Laundry Looks Good On You

by Athetos



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Nightmares, Sleepovers, Takes place between seasons 1 and 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23463166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athetos/pseuds/Athetos
Summary: Glimmer doesn't know much about Adora's past, but she doesn't let that bother her.  Adora doesn't know much about where she's going, but she knows they'll get through it together.
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	Dirty Laundry Looks Good On You

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 3 of Glimadora Week, the prompt was to use a song. This was heavily inspired by the song "Dirty Laundry" by All Time Low. Slightly AU.

When Glimmer had her first sleepover with Adora, she had assumed it would be a one-time thing. She and Bow would sleep at the end of the former soldier’s hard-as-a-rock bed, after a night of board games and ghost stories, and then wake up at an ungodly hour of the morning when Adora decided it was time to train. They’d grab their belongings, laugh about the events of the previous night, and then go back to sleeping in their separate rooms. 

However, it was only a couple of days later when Adora sheepishly asked the duo if they could keep her company once again, and although surprised, they both happily obliged. Things had been so chaotic and tense lately that any reprieve from the castle’s gloominess was welcomed with open arms, especially if it was the chance to end the night laughing so hard that their sides hurt and tears fell from their eyes. The third time Adora decided to ask them to join her, Bow and Glimmer beat her to the punch, showing up to Adora’s room unannounced with piles of pillows and blankets in their arms. 

This went on for a while, like clockwork, until Bow went home to visit his dads for a few days. Glimmer assumed the sleepovers would be called off until Bow was back, but before she could teleport into her bed and crash for the night, there was a hesitant knocking at her door. The princess opened the door to find Adora standing there, bashful, her cheeks rosy. She stared at her shoes awkwardly.

“Hi, I know Bow is with his fathers, but… I was wondering… do you still want to…?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah, of course!” Glimmer offered her friend a sparkly smile, and stepped aside to let her into her room. “You don’t even need to ask, you know. I just didn’t want to impose…” 

Adora matched her smile. “Thanks! I know Bow has most of the games, but I thought it might be nice to just, you know, chill together.” 

And so Glimmer teleported herself and the taller woman into her floating bed, where they laid side by side facing each other, and talked well into the night, about everything and nothing. Usually the teens laid well apart from each other, sprawled all over whoever’s bed they were in, but in the morning, the girls woke up close enough that their hands were just barely touching, and they could feel each other’s body heat. It was a strange sensation, one that made Glimmer’s cheeks tingle and her skin sparkle involuntarily, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Then Bow returned, and Glimmer was almost disappointed - as much as she loved her childhood friend, this weird thing she had with Adora left her flushed and breathless, and she was upset at the thought of it dissipating. So when Adora showed up at her door again, alone, Glimmer’s heart jolted in her chest and she didn’t even ask if Bow was invited, just took Adora’s hand and teleported them both up to her bed, where they curled up close to each other and drifted to sleep, without saying a word. 

When Glimmer opened her eyes, awakened by the first rays of sunlight warming her skin, she was in Adora’s arms, the taller woman’s chest flush against her back, and their legs lazily tangled together. Glimmer’s chest swelled until she was sure her rib cage would burst, barely able to keep the smile off her face, and feigned sleep until Adora woke up with a gentle stretch, squeezing her around her waist. Glimmer was afraid that maybe it was a mistake, that Adora would never intentionally snuggle with her like that, but the same thing happened the next morning, and then the one after that, and before long the two were cuddling before they would even shut their eyes.

Glimmer was very, _very_ thankful that the sleepover was not a one-time thing.

—-

After the battle of Bright Moon, Adora started having nightmares. 

The girl had had bad dreams before, but nothing like this. Sometimes, she would jerk awake, launching herself into a sitting position, gasping for air. Other times, she would mumble in her sleep, grasping at the sheets, sweat dripping from her forehead. One time, she woke up screaming, sobbing almost as soon as she gained consciousness. 

But every time, no matter what, one thing stayed the same - Glimmer was there for her. She would gently stroke Adora’s back, mindful of the wounds Catra had inflicted, her thumbs rubbing small but firm circles. She’d wrap her arms around her friend’s middle, pressing her face between her shoulder blades, and whisper kind reassurances over and over. She’d wait until Adora was calm, then teleport to the kitchens, and return with a mug of hot lemon tea, just cool enough not to burn the blonde’s mouth. She’d play with Adora’s long hair, running her fingers through it over and over, while she leaned against the other princess, putting all of her love and compassion into the simplest gestures. 

She never asked what the nightmares were about. If Adora wanted to tell her, she would. Glimmer would never pressure her to share. 

As routine as their shared nights together became, Glimmer never lost the butterflies in her stomach, or the elation upon waking to find her face buried in Adora’s chest, or the trembling in her hands when she brushed Adora’s bangs out of her eyes. At some point, Glimmer realized she was in love, and she found that it didn’t surprise her at all. It felt right, it felt natural, it felt like it was meant to be. Loving Adora was as easy as breathing. And she could never try to deny something that felt so good. 

She wanted to ask Adora if she felt the same way. She wanted to get lost in her gray eyes and ask her if she wanted to be more than friends. She wanted to cup the taller girl’s cheeks in her hands and pull her downwards into a passionate kiss, and feel Adora’s hands wrap around her shoulders, and - 

Glimmer wanted a lot of things. But the fear of losing Adora, of her not reciprocating, of her not joining her in bed every night, outweighed her desire to confess. She couldn’t risk losing her. What she and Adora had, whatever it was, was deeper than her relationship with Bow, with any of the friends she had made and then lost over her lifetime. She couldn’t imagine a life without Adora, even if things only stayed the same.

These were the things Glimmer thought about before she succumbed to slumber, before she gave in and let herself drift away in her hero’s arms, lulled to sleep by Adora’s steady breathing and familiar heartbeat. As hectic as life as both a princess and a commander was, it was these intimate thoughts that occupied her mind, most of the time.

Glimmer didn’t remember falling asleep this particular night, but she could remember waking up, startled into fight or flight by a heart-wrenching sob. Adora was sitting upright beside her, holding her face between her hands, almost howling as tears streamed down her face. 

“Adora! Adora, I’m right here! It’s okay, I promise. You’re safe.” Glimmer sat up beside her friend, letting one hand fall to rub her back, and her other gently touching the devastated girl’s knee. “It’s me, Glimmer. I’m here.” 

Adora shook her head, not attempting to bother with words through her tears. 

Glimmer felt her insides shrivel up, and her heart seemed fiery and constricted. Her mouth was dry. “Did you have a nightmare, ‘Dora?”

The blonde nodded, still whimpering.

“Okay. It’s okay. No one can hurt you here. I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.” Glimmer squeezed her knee through her pajamas, hoping it was a comforting action. She pulled herself even closer to her. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Y-yeah, I think so.” Adora sniffled.

“I need you to take a deep breath for me. As deep as you can. Hold it for a few seconds, and then let it out, slowly. Can you do that?”

Another nod. Adora took a deep, shaky breath, as Glimmer’s hand on her back wandered higher and pressed between her tense shoulders. Adora was only able to hold the breath for a short time, and her exhale was choked and explosive, but the next breath was slightly more even. She continued the breathing exercise, and after a few minutes, encouraged by Glimmer’s whispered coaxing, her crying had died down to sniffles. 

“Good, Adora, you’re doing great.” Glimmer praised, offering a small smile. “See, it’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not.” Adora rubbed at her eyes with the back of one hand.

Glimmer laced their hands together. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean…” Adora trailed off, looking away from the shorter woman beside her. After a long moment, she continued. “I mean, why do you care about me?”

Glimmer’s heart was tugged by Adora’s softly spoken words. “I care about you, because I love you, Adora.” She never expected this to be the way she first told Adora “I love you”, but it felt right, at the moment, because it was true. “You’re one of my best friends. You’re a wonderful person, and I can’t imagine a life without you in it. You mean the world to me.” 

Adora looked sadly at her companion. “But why? I’m not… I’m not a good person, Glimmer.” 

Glimmer reached out to place her free hand against Adora’s cheek, hoping to put as much meaning as possible into the gesture. “Adora… Why do you think you’re not a good person?”

“You don’t know what I did. When I was in the Horde.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” Glimmer said softly, before pausing, wondering if Adora had more to say.

“I did… I did some really nasty things. Things that I can’t ever be forgiven for. You would hate me if you knew.” She squeezed her eyes shut, tears spilling out again.

Glimmer took a deep breath to steady herself. “No, Adora, I wouldn’t hate you. You didn’t know what you were doing. You were brainwashed, you thought we were monsters, you thought you were the good guys… You, the real you, would never hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it. I know you wouldn’t.” 

“You don’t mean that. You don’t know what you’re saying.” 

Glimmer lightly rubbed her thumb against Adora’s cheek. “Maybe I don’t know what I’m saying. But I do know that I could never hate you. What you did before… that doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is what you do now. What we do now. And I trust you. I trust you with my life, and I know Bow does too, and I know all of the alliance, including my mom, do too.”

Adora bit her lip. “You’re not even going to ask me what I did? You never ask what my nightmares are about…” 

“That’s for you to tell me, when you’re ready. If you want to, I’ll listen. I’ll be right here for you, always, and I want you to know that you can tell me anything, and I promise I won’t judge you. You can just vent, if you want. But only when you’re ready. And even if you’re never ready, that’s okay, too. We all have things that are hard to talk about. But… like I said earlier…” Glimmer blushed. “I love you. I mean that, Adora.” 

Adora gave her a watery smile, and Glimmer felt herself twinkle, her body betraying her. In the soft purple glow, she was able to see that Adora was blushing, too. “Thank you. And I… I love you too, Glimmer. A lot. I…” She swallowed thickly, and her gaze shifted to Glimmer’s lips. 

Heart pounding, Glimmer did something very daring, and delicately traced Adora’s bottom lip with her thumb, her mouth even drier than it was earlier. She shifted closer, her body trembling. “You what?”

“I… I want to kiss you.” 

“Then kiss me.” Glimmer’s voice was barely a whisper. 

They closed the gap between their faces, and slid their warm lips against each other’s. The kiss was slow and sweet, and seemed to last forever. When they finally pulled apart, they pressed their foreheads together, Glimmer’s magic bubbling up unbidden to bathe them in pastel light. 

Adora laughed quietly. “I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time.”

“Me too”, Glimmer agreed, and she leaned forwards to capture Adora’s lips again, this time the kiss a bit more eager, and a bit less shy. Nervously, Glimmer placed her free hand on Adora’s waist, while Adora moved her hands to Glimmer’s messy hair, running her fingers through the short purple curls. Glimmer felt giddy, fire burning it’s way through her entire body.

They could have been kissing for seconds or hours, it was hard to tell, but the princesses eventually broke apart and laid down pulling an oversized pink comforter over their sleepy forms. They faced each other, Glimmer pressing her face into Adora’s neck, the taller woman wrapping her around her, holding her securely, and intertwined their legs together. This was new, but it felt familiar, and magical, like turning into She-Ra, or summoning light. 

Maybe love was a type of magic, too.

“Good night, Adora. I love you… and I promise, you can tell me anything, when you’re ready. But for now, just know that I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love you too, Glimmer. I promise, when I’m ready, I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”

Adora didn’t have any more nightmares that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Dirty laundry is piling in her room  
> She’s got her secrets, yeah I got mine too  
> I don’t care about what you did, only care about what we do  
> Dirty laundry looks good on you


End file.
